The Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (Iacat) in the Philippines, of which the Bureau of Immigration (BI) is a member, is revising departure formalities for passengers being screened for human trafficking after backlash over “frivolous” demands by immigration officers. The BI is tasked with protecting Filipinos from human trafficking and other dangers, and measures have been put in place to investigate any excessive or inappropriate behaviour by immigration officers. However, some Filipinos have taken to social media to complain of irrelevant questions and demand for unnecessary documents, resulting in missed flights. There are now challenges in distinguishing regular passengers from potential trafficking victims, as a new recruitment scheme sees educated, professional, tech-savvy and well-travelled Filipinos being lured to work in regional call centres linked to online scamming and other fraudulent activities. From January to February this year, the BI deferred the departure of 6,788 of more than 1 million Filipinos who left the country’s international airports, 57 of which have been referred to Iacat as likely victims of human trafficking. The Philippines, which maintains a Tier 1 status in the United States Trafficking in Persons Report, is one of only two southeast Asian countries listed under Tier 1.
